A look into the Mirena lawsuits

Kelli Baugh was a typical South Carolina woman seeking birth control. Now that 20-something year old women has had a total hysterectomy, is in surgically-induced menopause and must take estrogen daily. All this because the intrauterine device (IUD) she choose to use, Mirena, migrated from her uterus, causing physical pain and the above mentioned issues.

Baugh and her husband are suing Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Mirena, alleging that the design of the Mirena IUD allows for easy migration of the device through the uterine lining. Baugh’s trial was set to begin May 6 in South Carolina and would have been the first Mirena trial in the country. Now, over 40 lawsuits regarding complications associated with the Mirena device have been filed in the United States, leading to the consolidation of all of the lawsuits, including Baugh’s, into one trial.

In another Mirena lawsuit, one of the plaintiffs, a Missouri woman, experienced no side effects after the initial implantation. Approximately one year later, she began experiencing severe cramping. A visit to the emergency room and an ultrasound revealed that the Mirena IUD had perforated her uterine wall, leading to surgery for its removal. Bayer did provide warnings that the device could perforate the uterus upon insertion but not after implantation for a long period of time.

Another lawsuit involves a young woman whose Mirena IUD had migrated within her body. Her health care providers were unable to locate the IUD after its migration, and assumed that it had fallen out. Unfortunately, it had not fallen out but remained in her body for years. It was not located until she began experiencing abdominal cramping when she was 12 weeks pregnant, which required a very high risk surgery to remove the IUD.

Infertility as a result of uterine perforation is also a possibility. One woman became pregnant shortly after she underwent surgery to remove a Mirena IUD that had perforated her uterine wall. She subsequently suffered a miscarriage and now may be infertile.

Complaints listed in the lawsuits vary, but some of the most serious health issues associated with Mirena include migration of the device from the uterus, device expulsion, pregnancy complications if a woman becomes pregnant while the IUD is inserted, ectopic pregnancy (an egg becomes fertilized outside the uterus) and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause infertility. Other less severe, but still inhibiting side effects, are: acne, weight change, nausea, mood changes, breast tenderness, vaginal discharge and abnormal bleeding patterns.

Additionally, several of the lawsuits claim Bayer knew of the risks and failed to disclose the dangers associated with using the IUD. Bayer is also accused of using deceptive marketing practices in advertising Mirena to the public. The FDA did issue a warning to Bayer for deceiving advertising practices.

The lawyers at Nolan Law Group are currently evaluating Mirena IUD cases. If you or someone you know has suffered an injury after using Mirena, please Contact Us or call 312-630-4000.